All Chapters of Your Heart & Mine: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

The next few weeks flew by in a rush. Harper and Cam had taken a quick trip down to Raleigh and packed up their things for a several months stay. Cam had even managed to sublet his apartment to a friend of theirs who was breaking up with his partner and needed a place to stay. "I'm so glad you could help Evan out," Harper told him as they carried the last of the boxes up the stairs to their designated rooms in Harper's childhood home. "It's sad about him and Derek, though."Cam pulled a long face. "What is sad, Love, is that I'm stuck out here in the back of beyond for the foreseeable future and now Evan is single!"Harper laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "You and Evan would last all of a week. A week and a half tops. You're both too high maintenance."Dropping a box inside the door of his bedroom, Cam's hand went to his chest. "Me? High maintenance?"Laughing heartily now, Harper had to put down her box before she dropped it. "Oh, my friend, I love you, but you are sooo high main

He'd swallowed hard when he saw her walking toward him, her red coat unbuttoned and flapping in the wind behind her like a sail. When he saw her grab at it and try to wrap it around herself, he suppressed a smile. It had been all Wyck could do not to jump up and go to her when he'd noticed her in front of the building down the block, even with the British twat at her elbow. Instead, he casually raised a hand in greeting. Like he was so cool and unaffected. Sure.A distant part of his brain made polite conversation as they sat next to each other on the bench, but most of him studied her. Her cheeks were pink with the cold, and her hair was a riot around her face having mostly escaped the confines of the clip she had tried to tame it with. He clenched his fists to avoid the need to push it behind her ear as he longed to do. His gut clenched a little when he saw the wariness in her eyes. If he could only see that desire and openness in them again.His attention snapped back to her words

Wyck was happy with the progress he was seeing on the community center and the other projects he had taken on in Carrington Ridge. He was meeting regularly with businesses and crafting proposals to expand the revitalization of Main Street alongside Harper and her sisters. The town was happily on board with the renovations and excited about the future. While Elizabeth was proving to be a huge asset to reconfiguring spaces, Brenna had taken a larger role in working with the tourist board for the county as well. Harper managed it all with grace and efficiency.The weak winter sunlight filtered through the plastic sheeting covering the open frames of the community center project failed to provide much warmth, but Wyck hardly noticed the chill. He was focused intently on the construction plans laid out on the makeshift table in what would soon be the new community center's gathering hall. "Brad, I want to bump up the insulation rating if we can," he directed his foreman. "With those new

Harper knocked briskly on the cabin door, rubbing her hands together against the biting chill. Wyck opened it swiftly, breaking into a wide smile at the sight of her."Sorry to drop by unannounced," she said, rushing gratefully into the warmth."You're always welcome here," he assured her, helping remove her coat before drawing her close for a lingering kiss.The clearing of a throat had Harper twisting her head, pulling herself from Wyck's lips, flushed and breathless. A dark-haired man stood awkwardly nearby, files tucked under his arm."Uh, hi there." Harper gave a little uncomfortable wave."Harper, this is my business partner Davis." Wyck gave his friend a pointed look. "He was just leaving. Weren't you, Davis?"Davis shuffled the files and shot out a hand. "Nice to finally meet you, Harper. Wyck's told me a lot about you."Shaking the proffered hand, Harper shot a glance at Wyck. "He has, huh?""You'd better get in touch with that guy about the thing before he goes home, Davis."

The morning after her disastrous night with Wyck, Harper could barely drag herself from bed. Her head pounded from crying and her heart felt like a lead weight in her chest. All she wanted was to pull the covers over her head and hide from the world.A knock interrupted her despair. Before she could respond, Elizabeth barged in, Brenna on her heels. One look at Harper's ravaged face had Elizabeth swearing under her breath."That bastard Wyck did this, didn't he?" she seethed, sitting next to Harper on the bed. "I knew he couldn't be trusted!"Harper's chin wobbled pathetically as a fresh round of tears threatened."Oh, Harper," Brenna cried, rushing to hug her. "We thought maybe you two had worked things out. What happened?"Haltingly, Harper relayed the previous night's events - how after making love, she'd discovered paperwork proving Wyck owned Ward Development."He lied about everything," Harper finished dully. "He wanted revenge on Daddy and used me to get it.""That snake!" Eliz